Behind the Print: JeanPaul Mallozzi

Not only do we put a lot of effort into finding great artists, but we want to put an equal amount of time into making sure you’re aware of who they are. In this inaugural 1xBLOG interview – hopefully the first of many – Dennis from 1xRUN asks artist JeanPaul Mallozzi about his experiences and inspiration for this month’s Flavorpill Friday print, ‘Secrets.’

Secrets print on 1xRUN

 

Dennis: Like your previous 1xRUN release ‘Tenacity,’ your upcoming print ‘Secrets‘ is part of your Mood Swing series, which combines carefully rendered bodies with faces that are drawn quite child-like.  What inspired you to create this series?

JeanPaul Mallozzi: I had a gallery showing coming up and I was set on making a new body of work for the show. While I was sitting in my apartment sketching out new ideas, I ended up having an actual mood-swing while sitting down. I literally was happy, then I got pissed off followed up by being down and depressed. I think it lasted for like a minute. It was really weird, but I had my sketchbook in my hand so first I giggled with the idea, heh that’d be kind of fun to recreate somehow. I always loved to render in my works, but I also really appreciated artists that work in an intuitive, free way. So I wanted to try to put those two ideas together. Moods and emotions have a color and vibration, that manifest in the body language. So while the bodies are rendered carefully, the heads and the gestural faces loose and free flowing.

D: The ‘Secrets‘ piece draws from your experience that girls like to talk in code, and that some girls keep secrets, while others just let is all out.  Is ‘Secrets‘ drawn from a specific place or time in your in your life, or is it a culmination of several experiences?  Also, I assume that much of your work is drawn from your own life.  Do you find that these stem from multiple experiences over time, or is your work built on more specific events?

JPM: It’s a mixed bag of my own experiences, mutual girlfriends, and family members; especially my sisters. I watched some of the dramas they they went through while growing up. I try to keep the work honest, so there are at least a few crumbs of my life experience in what I end up making. But it’s not all about me personally. A lot of the time, I find myself responding to certain events I just happen to witness to other people.

D: You had said that you like to challenge yourself by conveying different emotions within your work.  What emotions do you find are the most difficult to capture?  Why do you think that some emotions are more difficult to capture than others?

JPM: People aren’t always in heightened states of emotion like anger and jealousy which are much easier to convey. The subtle feelings are so much more elusive to capture. It’s also a mixture of several emotions at once that tend to be stewing underneath the surface, at least when I think about myself and other people. It’s difficult to capture because it’s not outright and visible. It’s about reading in-between the lines in those circumstances; but that’s what makes the challenge so much more fulfilling to take on.

D: You have a selection of work featured in London’s West Two Gallery Autumn Show at La Galleria Pall Mall which opens on October 31st,  what else do we have to look forward coming from you in the future?

JPM: Well a few things right now. I’m going to take part in the Wynwood Art Fair this October.

On Nov 11th (or more fun to say 11.11.11), I’m creating a new original to be raffled off at the Bakehouse Art Complex’s largest fundraising event called Lucky You 4. It’s an awesome event, especially because people can win original art work for $10 and a little luck.

On Dec 10th, I’m also participating in the More than Sunshine show at the Collective Gallery in St Petersburg FL. It’s going to be curated by artist Mauricio Murillo, who’s teamed up with Inprogress magazine. Other things possibly coming up on the horizon, but until it’s a for-sure solid, I’ll keep it under wraps.

Signing a 1xRUN Artist Proof - JeanPaul Mallozzi

 

Dennis is a 1xRUNNER (of course), screen printer, artist, and is one half of the blogging duo at the art blog, perfectlaughter.com!

JeanPaul Mallozzi is… well you just read about him! For more info on the artist, and to take a look at ‘Secrets,’ visit his page right here.